Saturday, June 25, 2016

In what country does "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" take place?

The short story by Rudyard Kipling is set in "Segowlee cantonment." A cantonment is a military station where soldiers live and train. In this case, Kipling created a fictitious version of the types of installations where British officials and their families lived in India. During the 1800s and early 1900s, India was part of the British Empire, and many British men worked for the British military and government throughout India. That is why the man,...

The short story by Rudyard Kipling is set in "Segowlee cantonment." A cantonment is a military station where soldiers live and train. In this case, Kipling created a fictitious version of the types of installations where British officials and their families lived in India. During the 1800s and early 1900s, India was part of the British Empire, and many British men worked for the British military and government throughout India. That is why the man, woman, and Teddy speak English and do not seem particularly familiar with the wildlife around their bungalow, including mongooses and snakes. Although the particular region of India Kipling had in mind is unknown, at the link below you can see a mongoose vs. cobra battle that happens on the "dusty plains of southern India." The landscape shown could very well be similar to the area where the bungalow of the story is. The story speaks of a dusty path, and trees, and hot wind. 

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